Character discussion: Ax

[buffyangellvr23]

I think Ax is my second fave, after Tobias. I love the total difference in human form vs his natural body. He's total warrior in his normal form, but so very funny as a human. He's also interesting because he presents a view of humanity from the outside, a non-human creature observing humans and giving some observations in some books. I really like

Comments

[blue_rampion]

Hee, Ax! He's one that I'm always kinda sad we didn't see more of - though, I remember the guy who does the Opinionated Animorphs videos saying something on one of them about how one of the reasons why Ax and Tobias's books were so popular and effective was because they had a rather different kind of viewpoint, and that the lesser use of those viewpoints made them more effective. And I think I can see how that could be the case

[tobiahawk]

Really? I never go the impression that Ax felt as at home with Earth/humans as he did with his own people. He respected Jake, somewhat begrudgingly at times, and he cared about Tobias (but then again, Tobias was his psuedo-Andalite relative and fellow woods-dweller), but I don't think he really cared about the others much. He wanted to fight the war against the Yeerks because it was an Andalite thing to do, not so much because he cared about Earth particularly. Of course, he didn't want to see the other Animorphs get killed, but I didn't get the impression he saw them as family, with the exception of Tobias.

[lisacharly]

Doesn't he tell Estrid at the end of #38 "these are my people now" or something to that effect? And #52 there's the whole "OH SHIT DEAD WOLVES WHERE'S CASSIE" scene, and in #46 and #51 he and Marco seem to have gotten fairly close. I agree with Blue that he saw them a bit as a second family, and certainly they were there for most of his most formative experiences. Choosing to lie to the Andalite high command was a pretty big decision that I doubt he would have made, say, for Toby's Hork-Bajir colony.

[blue_rampion]

Oh, it wasn't something he intended to happen - Ax was still very much a reluctant immigrant. I don't think he ever wanted Earth to become like a home to him, but he kind of couldn't help it happening. That was the source of much of his inner conflict, I think - that he was becoming so attached to this place when that attachment warred with his ties to his own world.

Possibly I should have been clearer, but mostly I was using family to refer to the kind of closeness they got. I agree, Tobias was the only one he saw as family - but he definitely grew close to the others. LisaCharly already pointed out how Ax interacted with Marco and Cassie, and I'd argue that Rachel was the one that Ax never really got close to.

[mattiris]

I love the moments where we do just have Rachel and Ax though - like the end of #22 when they're turning David into a nothlit. Probably the most intense few chapters in the entire series.

[natural_blue_26]

Agreed! Oh how I hope we have a week to meta on David! :DDD

[natural_blue_26]

...The Andalites might have brainwashed/reconditioned him when he got home... Idle plot bunny but there's so many gaping Ax-verse holes we will never know.

There should have been an Ax/Tobias goodbye chapter in 54, for seriously.

[sylverlining]

FOR SUPER SRS. :| I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS NOT BEING HERE.

Well, I do hope that when the books are re-released, some things like that will be addressed. It'd just... be really nice.

[mattiris]

OMG I am so devastated we will never see that stuff. I would kill for a follow-up novel just based on Ax's story from the second half of #54.